Austin Kelsey North Madison and Kansas

Alvan Talcott in his genealogical collection traces three generations of the Kelsey family. He starts with the family of Stephen Kelsey and Lois Griffin. In the next generation he traces the families of their sons Julius and Stephen. Stephen named a son Samuel Griffin Kelsey. We noted Talcott’s material on Julius previously on the Blog. He then traces the families that belonged to Julius and Stephen’s sons. For Julius’s son Austin he recorded------ “ Austin Kelsey. Son of Julius and Sylvia Hill, was born 15 January 1810. He married 19 June 1836 Maria Bristol who was born 14 March 1812. Lived in North Madison, Conn. and Kansas. Children: Smith Ulysses, b 1 September 1838------Elizabeth Maria. b 29 February 1840; mar Alonzo Norton------Austin Hough, b 9 May 1841------Harriet Eliza, b 9 April 1846------Egbert, b 22 January 1849------Frank Henry, b 11 January 1855”. Austin grew up in North Madison. This area at one time was also referred to as North Bristol. Madison much like Killingworth and Clinton, was divided into two sections with two Congregational Societies. Due to their proximity the histories of North Madison and Durham have seen some overlap. At the time the Kelseys were living there, North Madison and the northern part of the Killingworth Second Society, in many ways, acted as a single community. At the turn of the 19th Century Congregationalism had lost much of its domination in the old New England Colonies. The Episcopal and Methodists movements had grown to maturity. An Episcopal Society had sprung up in both North Madison and Killingworth. In 1800 these two congregations merged to become the Union Episcopal Society of Killingworth. Cousins Julius Kelsey and Leonard Davis, having married sisters, were very much a part of this new congregation. We have previously posted the baptismal records for Julius Kelsey’s children that we found in the Episcopal records including that of Austin. This new congregation in its early years was not able to find or support a full time minister. As a result the congregation selected what they termed “lay readers” to assume the task of religious instruction. We find the young Austin Kelsey being selected to help fill this role. It seems that Austin had a good deal of religion in his soul. His religious fervor would play a major role in his life’s journey. At some point Austin switched his religious affiliation back to the Congregational Societies. We find his marriage to Maria Bristol recorded in the records in North Madison Congregational Society. ------ “This is to certify that Austin Kelsey & Maria Bristol both of Madison were married by me on the 19th day of June AD 1836. Stephen Hays pastor of the Church in North Madison”. We also find their church membership record. Each pastor at some time in his tenure would make an inventory of his membership. What we see is such a record for Austin Kelsey and Amy Maria Kelsey it notes that they were accepted into membership March 5th 1843. Note, they were admitted on “Profession”. We have previously published copies of the Profession of Faith and the church Covenants. What this means is that on their entry into the Society Austin and Maria publicly “Professed “their acceptance of the Congregational tenants. They not only joined the Congregational Society for the years 1847 through 1853 Austin served as the Society Clerk. The three dominating voices in any Society were, the Minister, the Deacons, and the Clerk. All of the Society records were organized and written by the Clerk. It is interesting to note that the clerks wrote in everyone else’s name then he attested to the validity of the content and the signatures. Thus on the document we have posted what we see is Austin Kelsey’s actual signature from the Society ledger. ------ We also find a record for the baptism of their three oldest children who they had baptized all on the same day, June 4th 1843. “Ulysses Smith, Elizabeth Maria & Austin Hugh children of Austin & Amy M. Kelsey”. In the Madison town records we find the birth records for Egbert and Frank Henry. Both are identified as the children of Austin and Maria Kelsey. In the early days of towns like Killingworth and Madison the civil and ecclesiastic worlds merged. Births, marriages and deaths were recorded in the church ledgers. In many towns that information was collected and recorded as concise little family records usually noted down in the ledgers that recorded the land deeds. One off set of this circumstance was the fact that if you were not part of the Congregational community no one may have made record of your children or your family history. I think it is because of this bias, intended or otherwise, that we have difficulty finding original birth records for all of Austin’s children. The same is very much true for the other families that belonged to the Union Episcopal Society. That information simply did not get transfered to town records. Without the work of Alvan Talcott the history of many families would have been left incomplete. But we do have a documentary trail for Austin and it creates for us the image of a real ancestor. ------ The real history for Austin’s family is written in Kansas. ------------The Kelsey family in Kansas maintains its own Internet site “Kelsey Family Tree”. The easiest way to find it is to do an Internet search for Smith Ulysses Kelsey of Wabaunsee, Kansas. They have detailed material on Austin and his generations and more importantly the story of the move to Kansas. To quote from their web page------ “In 1856, following a rousing abolitionist speech by Henry Ward Beecher, the Connecticut-Kansas Company was formed to send men to Kansas to establish a colony where families from New Haven and the surrounding areas could relocate and participate in the historic vote that would make the Kansas territory into a free state”. As part of this movement Austin moved his family to Kansas and became very much a part of the American drama that came to a head in Kansas and Missouri and ended with the Civil War. I highly recommend that you read the full story on the “Kelsey Family Tree”. ------Austin Kelsey / Julius / Lois Griffin-Stephen Kelsey / Samuel-Marah / Samuel Griffin. Click on images to enlarge.